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Man convicted in Whistler sled dog killings to be sentenced Thursday

Robert Fawcett leaves court after pleading guilty in sled-dog killings.

Flowers are placed at the site of B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals burial service of remembrance for 56 sled dogs south of Penticton, B.C. on Friday November 2, 2012. B.C. SPCA officials hope the ceremony will bring closure more than two years after international condemnation of the April 2010 slaughter of animals belonging to Whistler-based Howling Dog Tours.

People attend the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals burial service of remembrance for 56 sled dogs south of Penticton, B.C. on Friday November 2, 2012. B.C. SPCA officials hope the ceremony will bring closure more than two years after international condemnation of the April 2010 slaughter of animals belonging to Whistler-based Howling Dog Tours.

People attend the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals burial service of remembrance for 56 sled dogs south of Penticton, B.C. on Friday November 2, 2012. B.C. SPCA officials hope the ceremony will bring closure more than two years after international condemnation of the April 2010 slaughter of animals belonging to Whistler-based Howling Dog Tours.

Demonstrators protest outside Provincial Court during an appearance by accused sled dog killer Robert Fawcett in North Vancouver on Thursday. Fawcett, accused of killing 56 sled dogs after the 2010 Olympics, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to animals.

Robert Fawcett, former general manager of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., is seen operating the flags at the local stock car race South of Pemberton on May 12, 2012. Fawcett was charged under the Criminal Code Of Canada for an incident involving sled dogs in 2010.

Whistler sled dog collars.

Demonstrators protest outside Provincial Court during the appearance by accused sled dog killer Robert Fawcett in North Vancouver on Thursday. Fawcett, accused of killing 56 sled dogs after the 2010 Olympics, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to animals.

A man charged in the slaughter of 56 sled dogs near Whistler two years ago will learn what consequences he'll face Thursday at his sentencing.

Bob Fawcett pleaded guilty in August to causing unnecessary pain and suffering to animals, a criminal charge.

He could face up to five years in prison and $75,000 in fines.

"We hope this plea results in swift and appropriate justice in this very disturbing case," said Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. SPCA.

The bodies of the 56 dogs were discovered in a mass grave near Whistler after details of the killings became public through Fawcett's workers' compensation claim of post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the cull.

The SPCA launched an investigation soon after, and in May 2011 their team of constables, veterinarians and forensic scientists completed the grisly task of exhuming the dogs' bodies.

Evidence gathered at the site went into an SPCA report submitted to Crown counsel in September 2011 recommending charges against Fawcett. The report contained more than 1,000 pages of evidence, including extensive forensic evidence collected at the gravesite using state-of-the-art scientific techniques.

An individual named Bob Fawcett also posted details on a PTSD website, describing how panicked animals were shot or had their throats slit before being dumped into a grave.

After the slaughter, the British Columbia government brought in new protections for sled dogs, establishing legal requirements pertaining to working conditions for animals, appropriate containment and euthanasia protocol.

After the information about the cull became public, Fawcett and the company that bought his business, Outdoor Adventures, issued a statement in February 2011 saying that many of the dogs were old and sick and that efforts to have them adopted had been unsuccessful.

Fawcett, the former general manager of Howling Dog Tours, is slated to appear in B.C. Provincial Court in North Vancouver on Nov. 22.

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